THE TACTICAL HIGH Energy Laser took out a short-range Katyusha rocket on Tuesday, Lt. Gen. John Costello said in a statement issued by the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command in Huntsville, Ala. Later tests will attempt to shoot down multiple rockets. A string of rocket attacks on Israel in 1996 prompted President Bill Clinton to approve the program by the Army and the Israeli Ministry of Defense to develop the $250 million weapon. Congress is considering an additional $5.7 million for the laser.